{"title":"Edward Feser","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdward Feser\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a compelling exploration of philosophy and religion that challenges contemporary thought with classical wisdom. His works delve into metaphysics, ethics, and theology, inviting readers to engage deeply with questions about existence, reason, and faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKnown for a clear and rigorous style, Feser critically examines topics such as atheism and naturalism, often through the lens of traditional philosophical frameworks. His writings bridge scholarly analysis and accessible discussion, making them essential for those interested in \u003cem\u003ePhilosophy \u0026amp; Psychology\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eReligion \u0026amp; Spirituality\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-last-superstition-a-refutation-of-the-new-atheism-by-edward-feser-9781587314520","title":"The Last Superstition – A Refutation of the New Atheism","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe central contention of the \"New Atheism\" of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens is that there has for several centuries been a war between science and religion. They argue that religion has been steadily losing that war, and that at this point in human history, a completely secular scientific account of the world has been worked out in such thorough and convincing detail that there is no longer any reason why a rational and educated person should find the claims of any religion the least bit worthy of attention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut as Edward Feser argues in \u003ci\u003eThe Last Superstition\u003c\/i\u003e, in fact, there is not, and never has been, any war between science and religion at all. There has instead been a conflict between two entirely philosophical conceptions of the natural order: on the one hand, the classical \"teleological\" vision of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas, on which purpose or goal-directedness is as inherent a feature of the physical world as mass or electric charge; and the modern \"mechanical\" vision of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Hume, according to which the physical world is comprised of nothing more than purposeless, meaningless particles in motion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs it happens, on the classical teleological picture, the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and the natural-law conception of morality are rationally unavoidable. Modern atheism and secularism have thus always crucially depended for their rational credentials on the insinuation that the modern, mechanical picture of the world has somehow been established by science. Yet this modern \"mechanical\" picture has never been established by science and cannot be, for it is not a scientific theory in the first place but merely a philosophical interpretation of science.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMoreover, as Feser shows, the philosophical arguments in its favour given by the early modern philosophers were notable only for being surprisingly weak. The true reasons for its popularity were then, and are now, primarily political: it was a tool by which the intellectual foundations of ecclesiastical authority could be undermined and the way opened toward a new secular and liberal social order oriented toward commerce and technology. So as to further these political ends, it was simply stipulated, by fiat as it were, that no theory inconsistent with the mechanical picture of the world would be allowed to count as \"scientific.\" As the centuries have worn on and historical memory has dimmed, this act of dogmatic stipulation has falsely come to be remembered as a \"discovery.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, not only is this modern philosophical picture rationally unfounded, it is demonstrably false. For the \"mechanical\" conception of the natural world, when worked out consistently, absurdly entails that rationality, and indeed the human mind itself, are illusory. The so-called \"scientific worldview\" championed by the New Atheists thus inevitably undermines its own rational foundations; and into the bargain (and contrary to the moralistic posturing of the New Atheists) it undermines the foundations of any possible morality as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy contrast, and as \u003ci\u003eThe Last Superstition\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates, the classical teleological picture of nature can be seen to find powerful confirmation in developments from contemporary philosophy, biology, and physics; moreover, morality and reason itself cannot possibly be made sense of apart from it. The teleological vision of the ancients and medievals is thereby rationally vindicated – and with it the religious worldview they based upon it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428278419692,"sku":"9781587314520","price":35.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781587314520.jpg?v=1774497234"},{"product_id":"aquinas-by-edward-feser-9781851686902","title":"Aquinas","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe ultimate introduction to the greatest medieval philosopher, Saint Thomas Aquinas\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“At last. A concise, accessible and compelling introduction to Aquinas’s thought.”\u003c\/em\u003e Kelly James Clark, Professor of Philosophy, Calvin College\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe greatest of the medieval philosophers, Thomas Aquinas sought to reconcile Christian doctrine with the classical philosophy of Aristotle and Plato. As controversial in his time as he is influential today, Aquinas is perhaps best known for his “Five Ways”, a collection of ingenious—but often misunderstood—arguments for the existence of God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this multifaceted introduction to the renowned thinker, Edward Feser shows how Aquinas’s works are as relevant today as when they were written. Defending his ideas from modern misrepresentation, Feser introduces the great Saint’s views on metaphysics, ethics, psychology, and philosophy of religion. Arguing that Aquinas’s thought avoids many of the pitfalls of contemporary philosophy, this comprehensive volume will captivate both the seasoned \"Thomist\" and the absolute novice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47595693834476,"sku":"9781851686902","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781851686902-aquinas.jpg?v=1777902799"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/edward-feser.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}